Let's think for a minute.... Think back when was the last time you spent around $250 (€167) and it was money well spent? An iPod? That Nintendo Wii that you waited in that ridiculous line for and is now collecting dust? Or two hundred and fifty Snickers chocolate bars? How about a 1989 Toyota Cressida that Ameen Rizvi bought from a woman that just wanted it out of her driveway?
This is a story of a Cressida and the boy that took it on a journey further than any two hundred and fifty dollars would.
It wasn't that long ago that I saw this Cressida in flat white at the Access Zero 42 meet in Houston, Texas.
It had a completely different air around it when I saw it then. It was undoubtly still badass looking, but it was far from being serious. There were even Planet Zero maids in and all around the car during the course of the meet! They just couldn't resist such four-door sexiness.
Edgar, the Z32 owner which we've previously featured, said that every car owner should be allowed one rice mod. How about an expansion to that thought: every car owner should also be allowed one rice dream. And in Ameen's case, it could be a flock of girls all around his car....
Ameen didn't hesitate to grab a camera and snap in rapid fire succession. He was in total disbelief of the events that were going on around his car that night....
But, when I saw this car again sitting on the grid at Irwindale Speedway for the Pro Am Nationals, it had on a completely different tuxedo. It was classy with an elegant James Bond quality to it (the Daniel Craig Bond, not the other not-so-manly ones...). It sported a brand new paint job which was, four days old when these photos were taken. The car also got the sticker treatment which threw away all notions that was a wannabe boy-racer, but serious contender on the American pro drifting stage.
During the course of the event, Ameen showed how serious he was.... We'll get into his results from the Pro Am Nationals later. Let's talk about this sexy machine first.
So as I've mentioned earlier, this car costed Ameen a mere $250, and that was the cost of towing from a lady's driveway back to his place in Houston. That's $250 well spent already! But like any other car enthusiast, money doesn't stop getting spent there. The motor on the car was locked up, so the Cressida needed a new motor. He got an offer on his S13 that he couldn't refuse, accepted the offer, and then immediately purchased a 1JZ for the car.
After a few events, including Pro Am at the Redbull World Drift Championship at Long Beach. Ameen started to realize that he needed more power...
A year and a half of owning his Cressida with the 1JZ-GTE, he swapped out the motor for a 2JZ-GTE with a USDM twin turbo setup. The 2JZ setup couldn't be any cleaner with the motor controlled by a Haltech E8 ECU. It even looks like there was a nice bit of wire tucking too. Great attention to detail whomever did the install!
True performance Cressida parts are so hard to come by so a lot of fabrication is needed. Check out the custom suspension mounts!
A detail shot of the 2JZ's twin turbo setup. But, when you beat up a car as much as Ameen does, things start to break. During the first day of practice at Irwindale, the car was only pushing out with 9 PSI, a far cry from the norm of just around 15 PSI. So, after the practice, they trailered the car out to the closest Home Depot, bought some tools then started messing around with the motor to see what was up. They eventually found out that there was a turbo boost leak, and quickly fixed it. After a few tests in the back of the Home Depot (let me remind you that there was NO drifting during the testing, just a few quick pulls to see if the car was boosting properly), the motor was boosting at a perfect 15 PSI!!
There was a slight incident with the local authorities the public parking lot, but nothing negative came out of it. Just a slap on the wrist and a "get out of here, and good luck at the event tomorrow" from the two officers. Whew!
As I've mentioned earlier, Cressida performance parts are hard to come by. But thanks to companies like Serial Nine, parts are available for the enthusiasts. This particular Cressida sports a number of Serial Nine parts; coil overs, end links, rear toe rods, rear control arms, rear traction rods, and rear subframe bushings.
Wheel purists will need to skip this next part because this car is rocking a set of Rota Grids in the front and Rota P45R in the rear. Both pairs having the same wheel specs of 18x9.5 +15 all around.
The wheels are a perfect blend of great fitment, with just enough compromise to fit 225/40s in the front and 245/40s in the rear for the right amount of traction.
What's a grassroots drift car these days without being completely stickered up?
At least this Cressida is show off a shiny silver Speedhunters sticker!
The major sponsors on this car has been cut from metallic rainbow vinyl. The effect is so sweet.
The body kit is also from Serial Nine.
As with any drifter's office, the interior has been completely stripped out and is free of any excess garnish.
The roll cage, fabricated by Derrick Rogers, has a fantastic copper color to it. This car is very loyal to the grassroots drift style. Every corner of this car has been thought about.
How about we take a trip with Ameen around the Irwindale Speedway drift course? Here he is smoking up the Cressida around the infamous Irwindale outer bank.
He then transitions into the inner bank....
...while balancing out the throttle, brakes, and adjusts steering accordingly right into the inner bank....
and finishes off his run with a bit of tire smoke.
Ameen rolls his car back into the pits after the run....
... then awaits the results from the judges with his run with Megan Racing's Cyrus Martinez.
He takes the win and is in complete astonishment from that news. This car maybe be a serious piece of slammedness, but at its heart is a person that doesn't take life serious at all!
Ameen finishes off the event a nudge under the podium at fourth place. But fourth was a much higher of a place than what he expected going into the event! This is what a man does when all expectations have been exceeded and he knows he's walking away with knowing that he is now a licensed Formula D driver for 2010!
I always find my self saying this but, drifting is by no means about the cars. It's about the people that surround these pieces of engineered steel, aluminum, and carbon fiber! This is a shot I was able to sneak in as I shot this Cressida on the grid after the event. I just love how car enthusiasts somehow instinctively stand (or in this case, sit) in a circle and can instantly hang out and have a good time --anywhere. Ameen, like many other drifters out there are lucky to have their friends and family to support them. Without these key supporters, there's really no reason to drive 28 hours from Texas to California!
Let's think about that initial $250 again. Ameen was able to get a car that was in perfect shape for literally nothing, continued perfecting his skills with it, was able to attend the Red Bull World Drift Championships, got his Pro Am Nationals invite at HIN Texas, came to Irwindale, had the time of his life, was able to become a licensed Formula D driver, and finally finish fourth place at Irwindale. If thats not $250 well spent, then someone, please tell me what is! It is never about the money. It's about the spirit and heart you put into what you love. When the day comes when Ameen no longer sports this warm smile during the course a whole event, is the day that Ameen should think about doing something else.
But, I predict that won't happen at all. This rising talent is doing more than just rising, he's flying. And the landing gears won't be coming down for a long while. Let us see what sort of heat this man can bring to the 2010 Formula D season!
Linhbergh Nguyen
Special November Slammed themed stories on Speedhunters